Where Are All the Black Swans?

Ballet is very “white”. A dancer myself, I have worn the same white tutu in performance after performance as a sylph or swan or wili or shade; ballet glorifies white fairylike creatures of all kinds. The ubiquity of white extends beyond just costumes. Ballerinas themselves are predominantly white.

There is much debate about the reasons behind the definite lack of diversity in ballet companies. Popular arguments include economic inequality, the shortage of role models of different races, and racism on the part of dance companies and the ballet community. Some dance professionals are known to believe that blacks cannot be ballerinas because their bodies are unsuitable for ballet. This racism is, unfortunately, still prevalent in some dance companies. Ballet training is notoriously expensive. The lack of diversity in ballet may be due in part to a class divide that does not favor the racial minorities; the lack of diversity is an echo of white privilege and racism in the past.

Misty Copeland is one of few black ballet soloists in prestigious ballet companies across the country, and is soon to be the first black female principal dancer of ABT. She is paving the way for ballerinas of color across the country by speaking out about her challenges and the challenges of others.